A Wilting Rose
by TedOrAlive2
Summary: Ozpin ponders how to deal with Oscar's budding feelings for Ruby, knowing that they can't be together. My submission for r/RWBY's May MonCon.


Oscar and I still have to actively communicate with each other. We don't know every single thought that the other had. But I always have at least a vague sense of what he is thinking about, especially if there are strong emotions behind the thoughts.

That was how I knew that Oscar was smitten with Ruby Rose the moment he laid eyes on her.

It wasn't particularly surprising. Miss Rose is a lovely young woman, and any boy Oscar's age would take notice of her. I'm rather dreading his first meeting with Miss Xiao Long. I can't guess how many times I'll have to remind him not to stare.

But for the moment at least, it's Ruby who fills his idle thoughts. I desperately hoped that this would simply turn out to be a young boy noticing a pretty girl, and that his feelings for her would fade quickly. So far, they haven't.

The first dream was uncomfortable, but not entirely unexpected. It was simply one of the hazards of occupying the brain of a boy in the midst of puberty. I didn't scold Oscar for the dream. Trying to police his very thoughts would be cruel and pointless. He has no control over his subconscious, and I don't even think he remembers the images it conjured. I often remember his dreams better than he does, as much as I wish I didn't.

The second dream was the one that worried me. He approached Ruby outside of the inn and gave her a rose. She smiled and thanked him with a kiss on the cheek.

They teleported to a park in that way that makes perfect sense in dreams. They sat together under a tree that looked just like the one outside of the barn on the Pine family farm. Oscar told Ruby about his life, and asked her questions about hers. His subconscious made up the details that he didn't know about her home, her hobbies, and her family. His image of her parents was surprisingly accurate, likely because he has some access to my memories.

As day turned to evening, they walked back to the inn, holding hands along the way. They shared a brief kiss before returning to their respective rooms. It was perfectly innocent.

It told me that Oscar's feelings for Miss Rose weren't going away.

I should have spoken with him the instant he woke up. I should have told him why he had to give up on those feelings. But I hesitated because it was too painful.

It hurt just like learning that Summer Rose had died and that Ruby would grow up without a mother. Just like seeing James in a hospital bed with half his body missing. Just like learning that Qrow was using alcohol to escape his pain. Just like seeing Amber in that pod and knowing she would never wake up. Just like telling Pyrrha Nikos that she might have to sacrifice her soul to save the world. Just like learning that she had died trying to succeed where I had failed. It was the pain of seeing someone I cared for suffer because of me.

But when I found Oscar's eyes staring at the door of that flower shop, I knew that I couldn't wait any longer. As much as it would hurt to tell him, letting things continue would have been cruel.

"Oscar."

"There you are," he answered immediately. "You've been awfully quiet today. It was nice." He was still looking at the flower shop, but he now ducked into an alley to avoid attention while he talked with me.

"You're considering buying a rose for Miss Rose?" I asked him, already knowing the answer.

"I figured you'd know," he grumbled in reply. "Are you going to tell me not to?"

"I'm afraid I am." I didn't know what to say next. There was no good way to tell him what he needed to know.

"Look, she may have been your student, but it's not like she was mine," Oscar protested. "Heck, she's a couple years older than me."

"Oscar-"

"And yeah, it would suck having you around when we were together," he interrupted. "But couldn't you just, you know, be quiet or something? You said you didn't want to make things any harder for me than they had to be. You promised." His tone was pleading now. "I wouldn't lie to Ruby. I'd tell her what it was like having you in my head, and if it made her uncomfortable then that would be the end of it."

"Oscar-"

"And I'd still stay focused on the mission!" he interrupted again. "I want to keep her safe, so I'd be more committed than ever to beating Salem!"

"Oscar!" The boy finally allowed me to speak. "I don't want to deprive you of normal relationships. You'd go mad if you were so focused on the mission that you lost all human interaction.

"As for her being my student, it would be uncomfortable for me. But you're right that I don't want to make this any harder for you than it needs to be. If Miss Rose shared your feelings and my presence was the only thing standing between you two, I could simply pretend to be somewhere else when you were together. I want you both to be happy."

"Then what is it?" pleaded Oscar. "Why can't I at least tell her that I like her?"

"Because one day you won't!" I spoke before fully considering my words.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Our merging is not complete yet," I answered with a sigh, knowing it was too late for subtlety. "You and I are not going to continue on as separate entities sharing one body. Already our connection is steadily growing stronger, thoughts and memories shared more easily. Soon it will be impossible to tell Oscar from Ozpin."

"What…what are you talking about?" Oscar whispered. I could feel his fear and confusion. "I'm going to disappear?"

"You're going to merge with me," I corrected, knowing it would make little difference to him. "Let me show you something." I brought up a memory from decades ago, and shared it with Oscar.

 _There was a desk strewn with notes and books about watchmaking. The hands of a child were holding onto a mug of cocoa as if it were a lifeline. A mirror on the desk showed the boy's face, looking withdrawn and a bit scared. His glasses were a bit too big for him, and his dark hair looked like it had never seen a comb. There was little to suggest that this boy would one day be the headmaster of Beacon Academy._

 _"What do you want from me?" asked the boy._

 _"I want you to stand up and do the right thing," said a voice that came from nowhere. "I want you to be the person who reached out a hand when Remnant needed help. It will be a difficult road, but I have seen your soul, and I know that you have what it takes to make a difference."_

"Are you the boy…or the voice?" asked Oscar.

I hesitated before answering. "There isn't a difference anymore."

"And that's what's going to happen to me?" asked Oscar. "There won't be a difference anymore?" He said the last part in an imitation of my voice.

"I'm so sorry." It was the only thing I could think of to say.

"And you waited until now to tell me this?" he yelled, his thoughts tinged with anger.

"I…I didn't know what would be a better time. But I couldn't wait any longer."

"Because of Ruby," he whispered.

"Yes, because of your feelings for her," I answered. "Perhaps I should have told you as soon as you met her that a relationship would be impossible."

"Let me see if I understand this right," he began. "I can't date her because I'm going to merge with you, and once I do I might not like her anymore?"

"Possibly," I answered. "I view her as a student. You may begin to see her the same way." That made Oscar flinch, but I pressed on, knowing that he needed to hear this. "But the larger issue is that as we merge, you are going to begin acting more like me."

"If Ruby does like me back, then the me that she likes isn't going to be around much longer," Oscar whispered. His voice was desolate. His mind had gone numb, with all of the fear, sadness, and anger from a moment ago subdued.

"It wouldn't be fair to her to start a relationship right now."

"It would be like asking her out when I'm about to die," Oscar mumbled. I wanted to contradict him but couldn't with any honesty.

An image appeared in Oscar's mind of a rose wilting, its petals falling off one by one. A moment later came a sense of realization.

"I was going to get her a rose," began Oscar. "But roses wilt eventually. I knew it wouldn't last forever, but it would still have been nice while it lasted."

"Oscar," I began.

"No," he interrupted. "Nothing lasts forever. My mom died right after I was born. My dad took care of me for a few years, then he died too. They had each other, then they didn't. I had my dad, and then I didn't. It happens to everyone."

Oscar paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm going to tell her- tell all of them- that I'm going to become like you. And then I'm going to tell Ruby how I feel about her. I'll understand if she doesn't want to start something that isn't likely to last long, but I need to get this out." He glanced at the flower shop again. "We can skip the rose. It was clichéd anyways."

I didn't know what to say. This had the potential to break Ruby's heart, which I didn't want to allow. But, as Oscar had pointed out, every relationship had the possibility to bring heartbreak.

"If you feel you have to do this, then I won't stop you."

Oscar turned and began walking back to the hotel. I prayed to the Creator that I was doing the right thing.


End file.
